


Finding Paths Home

by Ride_the_Sky



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Idk it’s cute, Post-Season/Series 02, Rayllum Week 2019, Romance, Slight Angst?, THIS IS LATE BUT WHATEVER, just two dumb kids in like, maybe spoilers? not major ones, will add more of these as I write more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2020-01-15 20:52:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18506872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ride_the_Sky/pseuds/Ride_the_Sky
Summary: Written for Rayllum Week 2019A series of short (read minuscule) one-shots about our two protagonists falling in like.





	Finding Paths Home

**Author's Note:**

> After watching the entirety of TDP two days ago (I loved it), I realized I have narrowly missed Rayllum Week 2019. I have still decided to participate, however. 
> 
> This, I warn you, was written with absolutely no plan at one in the morning all in one go and has not endured editing. I apologize.
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> Day 1 - Fireflies:
> 
> “They’re so beautiful.”
> 
> “Like you.”

Possibly the biggest difference Callum realized after crossing into Xadia was in the animals. This made sense, of course, because magic was so much more abundant in Xadia than in Katolis. The animals here were larger than life, glowing, invisible, or made of any other form of pure magic. They existed with such grace and power that even the smallest breath could send him reeling. He had seen magical creatures before, especially considering he was traveling with a dragon, but he could always count on the occasional dog or songbird to share in his normality. Here, he was alone.

Almost.

The only normal creature that had stayed constant throughout his entire journey was fireflies. Why them, Callum didn’t know, but their company was well appreciated. They were a reminder of what awaited him back home when the war was won. During the nights, he would sit on some rock somewhere and watch them live, just reveling in how such a simple creature could dance with such joy.

One night, after being awakened by a particularly bad nightmare, Callum sat on a lake dock near where he was camped. He dangled his feet in the water and sighed, leering the gentle flow tickle at his calves.

“Mind if I join you?” a voice asked from behind him.

He didn’t need to turn to know who it was, her accent being a dead giveaway. He smiled softly and nodded, scooting over to let Rayla sit beside him. She pulled off her boots and held them in her lap as her feet fell into the water.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” He asked, looking at his reflection in the lake’s surface.

“Nah. You kept talking in your sleep. Saying weird stuff, I don’t know.”

Guilt rose in him. Turning quickly to her he stammered out an apology. “Oh no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you, really, I -”

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, really. I know how your dreams get.”

He lowered his eyes. “Yeah.”

She picked at the laces of her shoes, trying to find something to do with her hands. “Were they bad tonight?”

“Hm?”

“Your dreams, were they bad?”

“No, not really.” He lied.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow.

“Okay, yeah, they were bad. I just... don’t want to talk about them right now.” he admitted, sitting on his hands and looking at the trees around them.

Rayla nodded understandingly and followed his gaze. His eyes were searching, but for what she didn’t know. He furrowed his brow, trying to focus harder.

“What’re you looking for?” She asked curiously, wanting to change the subject.

“Fireflies.” He replied.

“Pardon?”

“Fireflies.” He said again. “What, have you never seen a firefly?”

“Well, I probably have at some point. I don’t really know. What do they look like?” She pictured a raging ball of fire hurtling through the air and shuddered. “I can’t imagine they’re all too pleasant.”

He chucked. “I don’t think they’re much like what you’re picturing. They look like little circles of light that fly around.” His face lit up and he pointed. “Look! There’s one now, across the lake!”

She squinted at where Callum was pointing. Distantly, across the water she saw a faint light flicker on and off as it moved, seemingly suspended in the air. As she looked, more and more joined in until there were hundreds of them, all flickering in the trees.

“Oh wow,” she breathed, trying to take in the sight all at once.

Callum let his hand drop. He smiled, his eyes taking on a faraway look. “They’re pretty, right? I used to sit on the balcony with my mom and watch them whenever I couldn’t sleep.” He kicked his feet lightly in the water, chuckling to himself. “She used to say that fireflies were ‘the eyes a mother leaves behind to guard her children’ or something like that.” His eyes became downcast, as if someone had taken their light and snuffed it out.

“She must’ve been a wonderful woman.” Rayla said, putting a hand on Callum’s knee.

He took it without thinking much on it. His eyes regained a little light, albeit a sad one. “She was the best.”

They sat in silence for a while, the only sound between them their gentle breathing. The fireflies danced joyfully without a care in the world, their light bouncing off of small ripples in the lake. Somehow, Callum’s head ended up on Rayla’s shoulder, and their hands rested between them on the dock. The night was clear and peaceful, the moon shining brightly down on the pair. Calm breezes blew through the trees, rustling the leaves in a gentle symphony. Callum could feel Rayla’s breath on his hair and he smiled. Being there with her, knowing she was alive, he could take comfort in that.

The fireflies had moved closer, encasing the two in a ring of flickering light. Callum raised his head and held out a hand, letting one settle on his fingertip. It crawled around, fluttering its wings then taking off again to join its friends. Rayla gazed around her, taking in the sight. She felt her heart slow in her chest as a feeling of calm swept over her.

“They’re so beautiful.” She whispered, tapping her fingers against Callum’s palm.

He ran his thumb over her knuckles, and turned his head to face her. Once he met her eyes, he whispered back, even softer.

“Like you.”

She grinned and nudged him with her elbow facing back to the fireflies around them, but he kept his gaze on her.

He knew that tomorrow they would continue on, and that eventually this moment would be forgotten. He knew that they would pack up in the morning and leave for who knows where, never returning to this spot. But he didn’t care. Seeing her in the light of the fireflies, watching their life circle and reflect on the lake, feeling the gentle breeze blow on his neck and having her hand in his, he knew what he had to fight for. He knew he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> wow first post done and over with? i feel accomplished this is nice


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